Molds for concrete building members



March 5, 1957 A. HENDERSON 2,783,520

MOLDS FOR CONCRETE BUILDING MEMERS Filed March 12, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. @L BERT HEMD/PSOM WW M March s, 1957 A. HENDERSQN 2,783,520

MOLDS FOR CONCRETE BUILDING MEMBERS Filed March l2, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .IN VEN TOR. HL 551er Hfs/voe .eso A/ [WM/M United States PatentO ice MOLDS FOR CONCRETE BUILDING MEMBERS Albert Henderson, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Application March 12, 1953, Serial No. 341,931

3 Claims. (Cl. 25--118) casting bed so that projecting portions of the concrete building members can be cast below the level ofthe casting bed anywhere along the length of the bed.

As shown in the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a cross sectional view through molding apparatus suitable for the casting of concrete panels or slabs; Fig. la is a detail View thereof;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view thereof; Fig. 3 shows a modiiication of the structure of Fig. l, for the making of thicker slabs of various widths;

Figs. 4 and 5 are cross sectional views of mold form units of different sizes;

Figs. 6 and 7 show vertical sectional and plan views respectively, of a mold arrangement for forming bracketlike extensions on columns; Fig'. 8 is an enlarged view taken on the line VIII-VIII of Fig. 6; Fig. 9 shows a modification of the mold of Figs. 6 and 7.

Referring lirst to Figs. 1 and 2, I show molding apparatus for the casting of panels or slabs of concrete. The structure comprises foundation members 2 that support a base frame which has longitudinally extending beams 3 that are connected crosswise by channels 4, through the medium of angle plates 5 thatare bolted to the struts 4 and the beams 3. The base frame is pivotally or hinge-dly mounted by hinges 6 whose butt portions 7 are anchored to one of the foundation members 2. This permits tilting of the casting bed to a vertical position and thereby facilitates the removal of slabs or the like from the casting bed. Steam pipes 8 are provided to hasten hardening of the castings on the casting bed.

The casting bed structure comprises cross beams 9 bolted at 16 to the beams 3, through rows of holes in the beams 3, so that the beams 9 can be placed at various spacings relative to one another, and so as to permit removal of sections of the bed under certain conditions as will be hereinafter described. Two abutting casting beds may be elevated at their abutting ends by blocking, so that the beds slope in opposite directions longitudinally of the beds and so that a mold set on both of the beds will make longitudinally cambered concrete building members such as long span channel-shaped concrete lloor or roof slabs. A minor camber can be obtained in the bed, by elevating the beams 9 at various levels, by the screws 19.

The casting bed may suitably be twelve feet by twenty feet which will facilitate the casting of a number of articles in one operation. The casting bed comprises bed plates 11 that may suitably be two feet wide in accordance with the center-to-center spacing of the cross beams 9 and secured to the beams 9 by bolts 12. The length of the plates crosswise of the casting bed may be for the full l2-foot width, or divided into shorter lengths, so that p 2,783,520 Patented Mar. 5, 1957 some of the plates can be raised by a jack screw, when forming beams, columns, or other shapes, as will be hereinafter explained.

Side-form angles 14 and the plates are bolted at 15 to the cross beams. Wood nailing strips 16 are secured to the angles 14 to permit nailing of end mold walls to the casting bed. Wood blocks 17 are placed between the cross beams 9 throughout the length of the bed to form a practically closed chamber that will confine heat from the steam pipes 8 which are used to hasten hardening of the concrete, such as a slab indicated at 18. Adjusting screws 19 of the set-screw type are provided to level up or vertically adjust the plates 11 and the beams 9. Screws 19a positioned at both ends of beams 3 for adjusting the level of the casting bed frame.

When it is desired to hinge any part of the casting bed plates 11, thus making it possiblevto tilt only some of the bed plates 1'1 without tilting the underframe 'about its hinge 6, hinges 21 (Fig. 2) are secured to the removable intermediate beams 22 and to underframe beams 3, the intermediate beams 22 being located where desired along the casting bed and are bolted at 14a to the angles 14. This arrangement, of course facilitates the removal of the castings and particularly removal of slabs such as 18.

By tilting the concrete building members after the members have hardened, I eliminate the need for vacuum lifts or metal braces or strong backs, when lifting thin-wall panels into a vertical position.

In order that another casting bed and its underframe may be secured in endto-end relation to the bed shown in Figs. 1 and 2, bracket plates 24 are provided on the beams 4 for connection to similarly positioned bracket plates on an adjacent underframe. Also, bolt holes 2S are provided in the webs of the endmost cross beams 9 for bolted connection to another casting bed.

Auxiliary beams 26 are secured to intermediate plates 11 by bolts 12a, where it is desired to raise only a portion of the bed 11 to elevate a casting. To this end, jack screws 27 are mounted on underframe beams 3, so as to be able to raise this intermediate plate and a casting contained thereon, into position where the casting will be readily accessible for removal, or if it is a large casting, a sling can be placed beneath it. Angles 28 are provided to stiften the plate and to serve as guides when lowering theplate 11 from its dash line position in Fig. 2. This arrangement will be particularly suitable where long concrete beams are cast in a horizontal position on a bed plate, since two or more pairs of jacks spaced along the beam can be used to raise it. The beams 3 and 9 may each suitably be twelve inches in height, so that workmen can have access into the space between the casting bed 11 and the tloor or foundation upon which the beams 3 rest. It is also important that the l2-inch steel joist mold wall member be of the same depth as cross beams 9, because the joist mold walls will be located below the level of the plates 11 and rest on the beams 3. In making brackets and column bases, this l2-inch joist mold wall is very convenient, as in some cases, I may nail plywood bed plates to the joist mold wall, so that the metal plates 11 and plywood plates are at the same level.

By elevating the molded concrete building members above the level of most of the bed plates, l am able to place a lifting sling under the molded building members, thus making unnecessary the use of costly lifting metallic hooks or double length nuts and anchors embedded in the concrete building member for lifting purposes.

In Fig. 3, I show an arrangement of casting apparatus somewhat similar to that shown in Figs. l and 2, but wherein provision is made for adjusting form members 30 to produce slabs or wall panels of various widths. In this case, spacer blocks 31 and 32. are positioned against the inner faces of the angles 14 and I-beams 33 serve to 4to which end form strips 35 may benailedforV bridging the spaces between the forms 30 at each end.

Slabs of small widths cast between the forms 30 may be raised above the casting bed by jacks 36 positioned between the frame 37 that supports thebed plate 11 and the underframe, as shown in Fig. 3.

In Figs. 4 and 5, I show form elements that are parf spaanse ticularly useful in the molding of joists, beams, columns,

etc., as shown in Figs. 6 to 8. In Fig. 4, a steel joist 40V which is eight inches in height has wood blocks 41 bolted to its webs, so that form strips 42 of plywood or the like can be nailed in place. The form unit 43 of Fig. 5 is similarly constructed, the difference being that in this case, the steel joist is twelve inches in height. ln these joists, the width of their tianges is four inches and the depths of the steel joists and their combinations evenly divisible into forty-eight inches, which is 'the standard width of the plywood sheets. Y

When a beam or joist of greater than eight inches in vertical dimension isto be cast, another form unit such as shown in Fig. 4 is placed in superposed relation, or the unit of Fig. 4 may be placed on the unit 43 of Fig. 5 and bolted or pinned thereto through holes indicated at 4 4, the facing plates 45 of plywood or the like then being nailed to the blocks that are contained within the steel joists. If no pallet is employed and these members are placed in upright position upon a casting bed plate 11, in opposed relation to similar side forms, concrete beams Vor joists of twenty inches vertical dimension will be produced.

Figs. 6, 7 and 8 show vertical sectional and plan views respectively, of a mold arrangement for forming extensions 134, 135, 136 and 137 of a column 138, these extensions serving as brackets for supporting beams when the column is placed in an upright position when erecting a building. The mold wall units are similar to those shown in various of the preceding ligures,` and no detailed description thereon is required.

There are, in effect, three sets of molds for each column and its extensions. That is, column shafts `1.38 are formed in a lying-down position by side walls 138a and bottom walls 1331;. Upper extensions 134 and 13S are formed by side walls 134a and 135i: and Awooden blocks 134b and 13517 that are set between 134a-134a and 13521-1350, respectively. Lower extensions 137 and 136 are formed on a plate 136a and between side walls 1375: and 136b and by plywood facings 40a on the members 40. The blocks 13419 and 135b may extend down to the mold bottom 13611, or similar blocks provided there to confine two sides of the concrete in extensions 137 and 136, as in the case of the extensions 134 and 135.

The bottom walls 138b may suitably comprise mold wall sections such as shown in Fig. 4, laid upon their sides and having plywood facing strips as shown in said gure. Where a plurality of these are used betweenv adjacent ledge-forming cavities as in Fig. 6, a spacer 139 may be needed, to space and support them against the pressure of concrete at 136 and 137. Before upper extensions 134 and 135 arev east, the concrete in the column shafts 138 is allowed to stillen somewhat so that concrete from the upper extensions will not spread into column shaft mold so far as to cause the concrete in the column shafts to overow the side walls forms 138:1.

Fig. 9 shows an alternative mold for forming a column with a mold having cavities 140, 141, 142, and 143, the mold walls at said cavities serving to form the column 138 with its brackets similar to 134, 1.35, 136 and 137 respectively, of Fig. 6. In Fig. 9, the column is cast directly on the bed plates 11.

I claim as my invention:

l. Mold apparatus for casting elongated concrete building members of vertical shaft form in a lying-down position, that are provided with relatively short bracket-like extensions integral therewith, which comprises a mold having longitudinal side walls and a bottom wall upon which the shaft is formed horizontally and that has an opening therethrough, a lower auxiliary mold cornprising a bottom spaced belowv the opening and having side walls thereon in generally surrounding relationship to the opening, an upper auxiliary vertical mold comj prising walls disposed above the cavity between the said longitudinal walls and in vertical alinement with the said auxiliary mold, for the introduction of concrete to fill all of the molds.

2. Mold apparatus as recited in claim l, wherein there are a plurality of upper andrlower auxiliary molds respectively arranged in rows parallel to the said longitudinal side walls, and spaced apart in each row, the first-named molds being open on their upper sides for the reception of concrete at areas between the upper auxiliary molds.

3. Mold apparatus for casting elongated concrete build ing columns, that are provided with relatively short bracket-like extensions integral therewith, which comprises a mold having an elongated bottom wall upon which the shaft of the column is formed in a lying-down position and having side walls, there being longitudinally-spaced openings through the bottom wall, molds below Said openings, to receive the concrete, each for forming one of the said extensions, and a second series of molds for forming other extensions positioned above the first-named mold and being open through their upper and lower ends, thereby having communication through the first-named mold with the lower molds.

References cited in me fue of uns patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 926,231 Barber June 29, 1909 937,620 Loser Oct. 19, 1909 1,084,355 Moore Jan. 13, 1914 1,159,615 Swift Nov. 9, 1915 1,207,697 Atterbury Dec. 12, 1916 1,499,572 Eldridge July l, 1924 1,563,798 Sargeant Dec. 1, 1925 1,582,905 Crary May 4, 1926 1,767,163 Ackermann June 24, 1930 1,937,306 Barriball Nov. 28, 1933 2,458,155 Fraser Jan. 4, 1949 2,460,532 Porter, Ir. Feb. 1, 1949 2,480,840 Y Dicus Sept. 6, 1949 2,510,810 Furst June 6, 1950 

